“Light is the magical ingredient that makes or breaks a space; it’s one of the most important elements in all my interiors.” Designer, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

An outstandingly large and decorative, 19th century Dutch, Amsterdam Delft, jar shaped lamp. The jar decorated with two large brightly painted panels of large loose bouquets of oriental style summer flowers with associated sprays and sprigs of garden flowers in shaped reserves.

The jar with its original domed cover, decorated en suite. The decoration includes two large painted panels, with bright polychrome Chinoiserie subjects of Chinese temples and flowering trees in a broad watery landscape.

The four painted panels divided by shaped blue columns decorated with C scroll foliage and flower heads. The shoulder of the lamp painted on a blue ground with flower heads and foliage.

The bright enamel palette of cobalt blue, iron red, apricot and green. The lamp seated in a classic, 18th century style Rococo, ormolu gilded stand of C scroll shape. Although the Rococo is known as an 18th century design period, there were a number of Rococo revivals, by example, in 1870, when this Delft jar shaped lamp was produced. This is a large lamp with a weight of 5.5 kg/12 lbs The lamp shown with pleated, periwinkle and ivory silk shade suggestions.

Dutch DelftDelftware denotes the tin glazed earthenware made in and around Delft in the Netherlands. The earliest tin glazed earthenware was produced at Antwerp, circa 1512 and in Amsterdam in the 1580’s. In the 17th century the Dutch East India Company imported an untold volume of Chinese export porcelain into the Netherlands and on into a wider European market, all vying to purchase the beautiful blue and white porcelain from the mysterious land of “China”.

Chinoiserie.Although the Dutch potters did not immediately try to imitate Chinese porcelain, however, they soon realised that the fashion was for Chinese decoration and that they had better move with the times! This demand for the Chinese style resulted in the early French development of “Chinoiserie” or “in the Chinese style”.

The Chinoiserie style was fashionable, in general terms, from about 1650-1750 and included nearly all areas of design, imitating Chinese furniture, Chinoiserie interior design, painted silks and embroideries, porcelain, lacquered cabinets and screens, wall paper, fabric and a wide range of Chinese decorative motifs.

There were a number of Chinoiserie revivals, of which this large, 19th century Dutch Delft lamp is a beautiful example, the revival period incorporating both the Rococo and Chinoiserie, in a backward glance to the 18th century. Chinoiserie, has, in fact, never ceased to be revived and is today, still as popular as ever.